RNC launches outreach efforts for Hispanic voters in Texas

Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus gavels the Republican National Convention open in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

AUSTIN — The Republican Party is launching new Hispanic outreach efforts across Texas, rolling out a team tasked with laying the ground work to help the GOP win over Latino voters in the Lone Star State.
The Texas campaign is part of a broader push by the Republican National Committee in seven states to start wooing Hispanic voters across the country who have largely shunned the GOP at the polls.

The effort includes the hiring of field and state directors that will “build a grassroots infrastructure and engage with voters at community events, as well as strengthen our ties with Hispanic Republicans,” according to an RNC press release.
"This is just the beginning of our efforts in the Hispanic community," Jennifer Korn, the newly-appointed deputy political director for the RNC’s Hispanic initiatives, said in a statement. “We are committed to creating a permanent year-round ground game that will allow us to compete for every vote and will outlast any one candidate or campaign."

An official announcement will be made at a 1:30 p.m. press conference in Houston. Set to attend are Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican front runner for governor, and former State Rep. Aaron Peña, a one-time Democrat who flipped parties.
At the conference, RNC officials are set to announce that David Zapata, the former outreach director for the Republican Party of Texas, will be the first Hispanic state director in the Lone Star State.

Andrea Chavez, a former governmental relations assistant with Baker Botts LLP, and Rosalba Martinez, who worked for former U.S. Rep. Francisco Canseco, were named Hispanic field directors for San Antonio.
The RNC is planning to expand its Hispanic outreach efforts into Dallas and Houston by the end of the year.

Along with Texas, the RNC announced Hispanic engagement teams in California, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. In all, the RNC is planning to put in place so-called engagement teams in a total of 18 states ahead of the 2016 presidential election.